(Charon)

My children have been gone from me for days. Dezbe gets weaker and weaker, with each passing hour. Her hair, has begun to fall out. At first, it was small strands here and there. Now, I cannot smooth her head, without pulling a fistful of hair out. When she woke, after the children had vanished, I moved her upstairs. To where I know she is safe, and cannot escape. There are moments and times, where Dezbe forgets who she is. Who I am, even, and goes into a blind rage. I had to cover our window, so she could not break loose. At night, when the rages happen, I hear her pounding against the door over and over again. It kills me, to listen to it. Kills me more, to speak with her after the rage has passed. Listen to her helpless pleas of wanting me to end her life, watching her tears flow and fall to the ground. I try to tell her it'll be alright, that a cure will be brought here soon, but, my words fall upon death ears. Ears, that are becoming pointed. I do not know, if Dizzy and Cain are safe. If they are even alive. All I know, is that I am at a high risk, of losing everyone I have ever cared for.

Had it been me who had travelled to The Pitt, I would have been back by now. Perhaps that is because I would have been faster, knowing the way and terrain. Dizzy and Cain do not know any of that, and blindly ran off. I have hardly ever been scared in my life, and yet, I find myself crippled with fear.

Dez's cries of sorrow echo down from the upstairs. I want to comfort her, but I cannot handle seeing her. I cannot make it alright for her. I cannot fix it. Inside, it rips and tears me apart. She cries and wails, like a wounded and dying animal. The citizens must hear her, in the dead of night. No one comes to the house, and I have not left. There are times, though, of clarity for her. Though they are short, they are there. She knows, help is coming, in some part of her mind. It is just…most of the time, that part of her mind is silent, and restrained by the madness eating away at her. Dez once told me, when she killed the Trog denizens, they whispered a 'thank you' to her. A 'thank you' for putting them out of their misery. If it comes down to it, will she also thank me?

Shaking my head, I light a cigarette to try and clear my mind of such things. I have to remain strong, and confident in my children. They are mine, I raised them, loved them, taught them and learned from them. There is no reason for their failure, and yet I worry still. Worry, simply because it is what parents do. No matter how grown your children are, you always worry. Exhaling smoke, I hear that Dez grows silent. Tired from her antics, she must be resting. I wish, this was all just a nightmare. A terrifying dream. It is not. And I am reminded of that every time I make a move, or exhale smoke.

When there is a knock on my front door, I make a slight jump. Unsure, if it was a knock or Dez, I listen again.

"Charon open up! It's Barrows!"

Barrows? He should have no business coming here. Unless…unless perhaps he has found a cure? No, no Barrows would know nothing of Trog, let alone know that Dez is affected by it. It is a contained disease of The Pitt. Even the residents of Megaton do not know what ails Dezbe. Still, I rise from my feet, curious as to what brings him here. For the moment, Dez is silent.

"What is it?"

I ask him, opening my front door. He stands, exhausted, which is unusual for him. In his hands, old, yellow papers mixed in with new ones. He is short of breath, and seems rushed. Pushing his way inside, Barrows throws the papers onto the kitchen table, as I close the door behind him.

"What's the meaning of this? It's not a good time, Barrows."

I growl at him, holding my cigarette in my teeth.

"Charon, I don't care. Where is Cain? More importantly, Dizzy?"

I'm confused by his question, but answer it anyways.

"They went to find a cure. Dezbe is sick. They're travelling to The Pitt together."

"They're not separated?"

"No, not to my knowledge. Why? What is the purpose of this? What are these papers?"

His inquiries about my children worry me. Since when is it an important detail, if Cain and Dizzy are alone or together? His body language tells me all is not well, as he shuffles through the papers.

"Look, I'm one of the few people who know where Cain comes from."

"I am aware of that, but you have yet to answer my questions."

"I'm getting there, Charon, listen. Anyways. Graves and I heard you liquidated the facility he was created in. Curiosity took over us, and thank heavens it did. We went there, and gathered as much research on Cain's creation as we could. Wanting to study and know more about it. Anyways, here."

He hands me a yellowed piece of paper, one from ages ago. The writing is old, faded, yet I can still read some parts of it.

"What does this mean, Barrows? You are not making sense."

"…Cain was meant to be exactly like you, Charon."

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Only, different."

"Again, I know this."

"Yet…Cain was not meant to be the last of his kind."

Barrows sits, and lights a cigarette. I sit across from him, placing the paper down and continuing to smoke mine.

"What are you getting at? Answer me."

"Cain was designed, to be better than the best. Your perfect abilities, with none of the trouble."

"I do not follow."
"You were contract bound, and brainwashed. The creators wanted to eliminate the contract part altogether. In Cain, they did that."

"Excuse me?"

"They wanted mercenaries, but not like you. You were easily passed on from employer to employer. Cain, however, and those who they wanted to come after him, would not be so expendable. They wanted to create one solider, mercenary, for one person. A bonding, lasting pair."

"And how is this achieved? One cannot fully bind a person to another without emotion or loyalty. In my case, contract."

"But they can. And they did. Cain is a machine, made to mimic a man. He is a man, due to his organic tissue, but a machine created him. His cells, his organs, all created by a complex system of coding, it's all right here."

"I do not understand…"

There is a dangerous tone in my voice, as I try to follow Dr. Barrows' words.

"Inside of Cain's very cells, is a failsafe. The creators planned to train Cain and others just as you were. However, they planned to introduce their future and permanent employers during the training. A form of…mechanically emotional bonding, if you will. Cain, and is successors, would be forever bound to that individual. If that individual died, as would the mercenary. It's all here, again, in these papers. Are you following?"

"Slightly. But I do not understand how one can be bonded that way."

"Charon, it's biology, really. Similar to how women in the same home will eventually begin to menstruate on time. Cain is sensitive to the chemicals within the person who he is meant to protect. To be employed by. Without having a person, Cain would simply cease to exist. Without the chemicals, pheromones, and other secretions of another human, Cain's very life would cease to exist, as he can only function if with other people."

"You're telling me, that my son is bound to us by chemicals?"

"No, Charon, not you. Not you or Dezbe, but Dizzy."

"Dizzy?"

"Yes. Precisely. Cain held Dizzy from a young age, a rare thing. He is simply a prototype, but because of that he was an exception. The chemical bonding began too soon in his own body. Had he not cared for Dizzy as they grew together, and adapted to her change in hormones and body, he would have bonded with you or Dezbe. They planned to eliminate this with later creations, yet you took Cain before they could even remove it from him. Cain has been with Dizzy far too long. If he is parted from her, for more than a few days, perhaps pushing it weeks, he can die."

"How? I still do not comprehend all of this, Barrows."
"Because he is dependant on Dizzy's chemicals. Her serotonin, her pheromones, her adrenaline. Each one fuels his own, keeps his heart beating. I know they're close, Charon, but…have they had any…sexual relation?"

I purse my lips at the suggestion. I know, there is a noticeable and strong bond between them. With Barrows' findings, I seem to understand a bit better, as to why they were so close. It was not because Cain wanted to consciously, but because he had to be subconsciously. If perhaps that makes any sense. Dezbe and I admitted, due to circumstances, we would be okay with them having relations. It seems, looking back now, Cain and Dizzy were always calmer when the other was closer.

"I do not know. Perhaps. There is much I am unsure of about those two."

"If they did, or even kissed as you and Dezbe kiss, then Cain can never, never, be parted from Dizzy."

"Why?"

"That is a physical swapping of chemicals. His mixed with hers. Cain would have died quietly, in his sleep with no pain, if Dizzy left and they did not kiss. However, if they did in fact do any of the acts, Cain has sealed his fate. Parting from her for too long will cause agony, pain, a torturous death. Because, not only is there a chemical involvement, but an emotional one."

"…I don't wish to believe a word of this. Yet, thinking back, I see instances where your theory can be viable."

"It is not a theory, it is written down here!"

He angrily motions towards the papers on the table, as we poke out our cigarettes.

"I came here, to tell you if anything happens to Dizzy, the same fate will happen to Cain. That if they part, Cain will die, in a painful way. You are a good friend of mine, Charon, and I could not live with myself without informing you of this."

"Cain was meant to be better than me, and more advanced than anything the facility had to offer. I do not have a hard time believing this, it is rather…I see him as my son, Barrows. Hearing, that my son is a machine, and has no choice in his fate or future, angers me."

"I know what you're going to ask next. There is nothing you can do to stop it. Cain will exist alongside Dizzy, for however long she lives for. He will not age, he will not grow weak. His cells will constantly regenerate, rebuild. He was created, to live and die alongside his employer. A person, he was chemically bonded to. When Dizzy's time comes, be it natural or not, he will die, too. And if they had any form of physical relation, his death will not be peaceful."

There is a strong silence. Barrows says nothing, and I say nothing, as I digest all of this information. My son, my only son…is in a danger I cannot protect or save him from. I understand, he and Dizzy are very close. But Dizzy is fickle, and both are unaware of this. A fight could ensue, she could take off. He could lose her. And in turn, he could die. There is no way for me to tell this to them. No way, for me to notify them and make sure they stay close. I do not even know, if they are still together.